It was a pyrogy paradise in Glendon on the weekend, as hundreds gathered to celebrate the 25th annual Pyrogy Festival.
An estimated close to 600 residents and visitors came out to the Glendon RCMP Hall on Saturday, Sept. 3 to mark the milestone. The dreary weather didn't dampen spirits, as guests took part in the traditional and anniversary activities.
“It is a record setting turnout... It's wonderful to see this for our 25th anniversary,” said Glendon Mayor Laura Papirny. “This year we are doing our traditional pyrogy eating contest, we had Ukrainian dancers, and we have the Norman Ward Band performing, which was the original band for the very first Pyrogy Fest.”
It was a quarter of a century ago, in 1991, when then-mayor Johnnie Doonanco oversaw the construction of what would become a nationally known landmark – the giant pyrogy.
Doonanco knew that he had to do something to get Glendon back on the map. To do so, he came up with the idea to create a tourist attraction.
“We're five miles off the main road, we had to have something that was unique. There was a contest for a tourist grant, but there was no legitimate items that would draw people here; who's going to come see a moose? Everybody's got those. We decided to take it around and we came up with the pyrogy,” recalled Doonanco.
While the original designs called for a bronze sculpture, the material was too heavy to get the attraction to the magnitude they were hoping for. After a few more designs, which included adding the fork, they went forward with building the $69,000 structure. At 27-feet high, 12-feet wide, and 6,000 pounds, the giant pyrogy became an instant attraction across the country – gaining attention from news sites and tourists all over Canada.
However, not everybody was on board with the sculpture at first.
“I had a big battle getting it up there because people didn't understand. It was a tourist attraction, it was not a heritage thing,” explained Doonanco. But the pyrogy caught on.
“That pyrogy is what saved the village. We had a lot of TV commercials, On The Road Again was here for three days... (The village) got thousands of dollars in free advertising.”
Wanting to preserve the day they erected the giant pyrogy, Doonanco called on residents to contribute items for a time capsule.
Northern Lights Public Schools trustee Garry Kissel, who was a Grade 5 teacher at Glendon School at the time, remembers the months leading up to the time capsule as they went to different classes at the school video taping teachers and students on VHS.
“There are three tapes that the school contributed (to the time capsule). There will be comments from teachers and students, and there was a lot of video taken of the village at the time, so it will be excited to see how much it's actually changed at the school and in the village over 25 years,” said Kissel.
Sealed in the base of the pyrogy, the intention always was to open the time capsule in September 2016 on its 25th anniversary.
Festival-goers gathered around as both Papirny and Doonanco revealed the contents of the capsule, including various photographs, letters, newspapers, and unique items such as the original pyrogy shirt and hats from local businesses in 1991.
“It was something that we did when I was a child, so to be a part of the opening was really cool,” expressed Papirny, who was in Grade 6 at the time. “I definitely didn't remember anything (that was put in the time capsule), so it was a nice surprise and I was excited to see everything is intact.”
Kissel added, “I remember 25 years ago, we all looked at one another and said ‘are we going to be here in 25 years?' I was quite young but I know a lot of people that were at the dedication are not here today. From my parents and relatives, and seniors in Glendon, it means a lot to me to be here.”
Of course the annual Pyrogy Fest wouldn't be complete without plates full of pyrogies. Volunteers worked tirelessly to craft between 4,000 and 4,500 pyrogies in the weeks leading up to the event.
Those who wanted to take their pyrogy eating to the next level signed up for the annual pyrogy eating contest. Contestants in each of the seven age categories stuffed themselves with the traditional Ukrainian meal to see who could get them down the fastest.
After 25 successful festivals, the consensus is that the popular event isn't going away anytime soon. Organizers are already looking ahead to next year when, in honour of Canada's 150th birthday, they will be refilling the time capsule and placing it back in the base of the giant pyrogy during the 2017 Pyrogy Fest.
